Amtrak Passengers Warned About Measles Exposure

Passengers who rode on Amtrak’s northeast regional train No. 171 last Wednesday may have been exposed to the measles. Virginia health officials issued the alert after a foreign visitor came down with the highly contagious illness.

The train originated in Boston at 8:15 a.m. and made stops in Maryland and Washington, D.C., as well as Alexandria, Burke Centre, Manassas, Culpeper, Charlottesville and Lynchburg in Virginia. However, passengers who got off the train before its arrival in Philadelphia need not be concerned.

Officials urged passengers to check their vaccination status, and to contact their healthcare providers if symptoms develop between now and Sept. 7. People who contract the measles usually suffer from a high fever, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, a hacking cough, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea, fatigue, red and sore eyes and a rash.